The Bia2 Blog

As this blog serves more as a back-up blog and archive please do check my Bia2.com blog for faster updates and exclusive posts:

http://www.bia2.com/pourya/

Trance away the summer

The TRANCE wizard ATB’s seventh album “Trilogy” isn’t a set of three related albums as the title might mislead but rather an entirely new studio album with a crossover attempt to POP-ROCK genres and a brilliant track featuring Heather Nova. The album was released as a single CD album with 12 tracks recently but now a limited edition including a second CD packed with 14 excellent CHILLOUT tracks is on the market! One energetic and one ambient soundtrack, perfect for every kind of summer enjoyment!

CDWOW lost, but its the Industry’s loss!

I am a loyal customer and supporter of the online store CDWOW, and they just lost a court case against the British music industry for “parallel importing” original albums from other countries (mainly from Asia) and selling them cheaper than the “standard” market RPP in Europe and mainly UK! I am truly sorry that the doomed music industry wont take off its blinders and for once see the entire picture here! CDWOW lost only so much, but the companies will lose many times that because of their obsolete policies and not being able to differentiate between friends and foes! In other words they bite the hands that feed them, much like what the Iranian industry does at times!

They should ask themselves this question: is it better to get your own “original” albums sold cheaper but in higher quantity worldwide or price them regionally so high that only few is sold and the rest illegally download the album without any kind of compensation?!!

article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6700639.stm

clASSy!!!

Religious melting-pot of Goulette

The Tunisian director Ferid Boughedir’s coming-of-age story “Halfounie - Boy of the terrace” is one of my favourite films. A couple of years ago I happened to watch another great film by him, “Un Été á La Goulette (a summer in Goulette) and just recently I managed to find a rare copy on DVD!

Synopsis:

“The year is 1967 in La Goulette - a small harbour town in the suburbs of Tunis where various cultures have lived together for ages in effortless harmony. Youssef, Jojo and Giuseppe are as inseparable as their three 16-year-old-daughters, Meriem, Gigi and Tina. In a fit of teenage provocation, the three girls swear that they’ll lose their virginity by the day of the procession of the Madonna. To make matters worse, each of them has her eyes on a boy of a different religion, thus challenging an inviolable taboo. This leads the three families to cut off all ties with one another. But the bonds tying the three fathers are too strong. They end up making up, more like brothers than ever, just before the Six Day War breaks out in the Middle East, tearing apart Jews and Arabs the world over.”


I love his films, combining the European cinematography with Eastern mentality. He has a way of unveiling the hypocrisies of the Islamic societies through subtle humour and charm! Highly Recommended!

Ready to get X-ed?!

If you’re a fan of the X-men trilogy then this boxset is a MUST for you! Containting 6 discs, it features the special version and all extra material from each movie! Avaialble only in UK!

Check out the rest of the pics:

http://www.bia2.com/pourya/?p=205

Canonical Clashes at the Carnival

“Before the beginning, after the great war between Heaven and Hell, God created the Earth and gave dominion over it to the crafty ape he called man. And to each generation was born a creature of light and a creature of darkness. And great armies clashed by night in the ancient war between good and evil. There was magic then, nobility, and unimaginable cruelty. And so it was until the day that a false sun exploded over Trinity, and man forever traded away wonder for reason.”



I have no idea how on earth I managed to miss out on this magnificent TV-series when it was broadcasted back in 2003! But thanks to the DVD technology I have now journeyed through all of its 2 seasons and 24 episodes. “Carnivale” is a dark and eerie tale of an epic battle between good and evil against a backdrop of a depression ridden United States. Great casting and fantastic art direction! Takes you into a world far from your own, yet universally parallel. Unfortunately the series was cancelled after only 2 seasons, since its nature was far too mature for it own time and more suitable for today’s television audience who can “watch and think at the same time”! But despite of the early cancellation the mystical story is wrapped up rather smoothly even though leaving a door open for a future re-start, along with several mythological loose ends. If you enjoyed the ambience of Twin Peaks and appreciate the narration of Lost then don’t miss out on this TV-gem!

Lost in Scarlett

My latest addition to the collection is the Japanese Limited Edition of Lost in Translation (wow, what a ringing rhyme!lol)! I mean who can resisit miss Johanson’s bed and bosom especially when she is lying so invitingly like that? Those Japanese know exactly how to sell a DVD!lol hahaha! By far the best looking edition out there!

Check out the rest of the pics:

http://www.bia2.com/pourya/?p=197

God of PS2

After six years of loyal and consistent service the PlayStation 2 is going to leave the pedestal in favour of its successor PlayStation 3, SONY’s console for the next generation. And its swansong is God of War 2, a game that has managed to squeeze out every drop of performance that the old console could possibly offer! A perfect finale and a hell of a game! God of War 2 sums up everything that PS2 has stood for in terms of quality entertainment. The game comes also in a 2 disc digipacked Special Edition, if you consider yourself a GAMER then whatever you do don’t miss out on this edition!

Heroes will be back …on DVD!

Our friends and foes might be taking a break but Universal will release the season 1 DVD/HD DVD sets of the hit show HEROES on August 28th! It will include audio commentaries, the original un-aired pilot episode with optional commentary, deleted scenes, a making of featurette, a special effects featurette, and a stunts featurette, as well as PIP video commentaries, a Genetic Abilities test, and more! I love the show and the art work! CANT WAIT!!

Shahi Gracing Sopranos

I just watched the next to final episode of the Sopranos and seeing Sarah Shahi doing her “moves” in a guest role made me realise exactly why I love this TV-series! And the little lady of course! hehe! I only wish she had been introduced earlier as a regular member of the cast!

Speaking of Lusty Legs!

The leggy R’n'B singer Amerie releases her new album “Because I Love It” any day now! If you’re looking for SASSY meets CLASSY in the genre then by all means look it up! And by that I dont only mean up her short skirt! hehe!

God bless mother nature …

With the change of season they go in hiding! Like the rays of sunshine no one hardly sees them again once the cold hits the town! But when the gardens bloom again, they slowly but surely find their way back into the open, like homecoming birds of paradise! Like urban flowers, eventually gracing the land and pleasing the beholder’s eyes! Yes, that’s when you know that the spring has arrived, when mini-skirt clad legs attend to their annual parade! Like pillars of heaven! God bless mother nature!! ;)

An Event To Forget!

Ever since that the numbers of countries in Europe has increased through division and independence of states and provinces, the EUROVISION has become far too crowdy for a one night event! Since a couple of years ago more than 20 of the countries need to compete in a semi-final for a position in the final. Mostly new countries and those that didn’t make it to the top list in last year’s final. Last night’s semi-final in Helsinki offered perhaps the most terrible line-up that I’ve seen during my past 22 years of EUROVISION screening! The acts and songs most importantly were of such low quality that I seriously considered to skip the show for the first time! And having also seen the entries that have been directly picked for the final tomorrow I am seriously contemplating whether I should watch this or not. Another reason is the incredibly poor art direction of the show that I caught last night, the thought of it makes me cringe! Such a show should be a feast for the eyes but last night was underwhelming!

All in all the main two things that helped me endure this show is the Polish vocalist above and the Moldavian contestant below! Hehe! God bless them! ;)

Linkin' Up Again

After four years of waiting and 14 months of hard work LINKIN PARK’s third album “Minutes to Midnight” will hit the market this week! This album enjoys the sound of banjos, marimbas and vintage guitars and old-school sound-systems. Mike Shinoda sees this album as a natural progress in the band’s way of finding a musical maturity and to emancipate itself from the “file-under” label of RAP METAL. For collectors there is a SPECIAL EDITION with a DVD! I don’t know about you but that’s the edition I gotta have! Hehe!

The Grand Magician of Cinema

When I was a child back in Iran, in an era where VCRs were legally banned from homes and childs were lured to turn their parents in for owning the technology, I used to watch and love a special effects documentary series on the state TV in which the so called “Jaadooye Cinema” was explored. Right there I became acquainted with the work of the STOP-MOTION animator and filmmaker Ray Harryhausen. The pioneer who long before CG (Computer Graphics) animations revolutionised the fantasy genre with his primitive yet impressive special effects!

His art and innovation impressed and inspired the un-jaded little me to such extent that I started a new creative process of sketching my own creatures and used play-dough to realise them! I remember being SO proud of the results, even though I was very fussy about details even back then! Still today when I sit and watch any of his movies I find myself more engaged and visually charmed than any other so called “cutting edge” CG production of today.

If you too are a fan of this grandmaster, a mere special effects aficionado or just find my description interesting please do get your hands on “the Art of Ray Harryhausen”, a semi-coffee table book with basically the entire career of the artist documented. And most importantly including lots of images, from early sketches to actual creations. With a foreword by Peter Jackson, Lord of the Rings director and one of Harryhausen’s many famous fans!

Electro-Bohemian Girls

Feel-good Electro-POP combined with BOHEMIAN vocal harmonies sum up the music of these three synthesizer-loving girls. They are hardly hummingbirds, still Au Revoir Simone’s sophomore album “The Birds of Music” has a scent of the season! Perfect for late spring weekends!

Monica and Me…

Or better said Monica and Napoleon in “N (Napoleon and Me)” is a movie that I’m eagerly waiting for! Being a devoted fan of the breathtaking Italian donna and also the excellent acting of Daniel Auteuil this is a movie I simply cant miss! If only it could head my way sooner!

“A young firebrand learns the hard way about the practical problems behind political assassination in this lavish period comedy. In 1814, with his reputation in tatters and his rule of France come to an inglorious end, Napoleon Bonaparte (Daniel Auteuil) flees to the Island of Elba, where his arrival causes no small stir among the citizens. However, not everyone is pleased with his presence; Martino (Elio Germano) is a young and idealistic schoolteacher who believes Napoleon turned his back on the ideals he fought for in the French Revolution, and doesn’t hesitate to criticize the former Emperor in front of his students. When Martino isn’t busy with his students, he attends to the romantic needs of the beautiful Baroness Emilia (Monica Bellucci), but she’s powerless to help him when his controversial opinions about Elba’s new arrival cause him to be fired. When Martino learns that Napoleon is in need of a personal secretary and librarian, he has a brainstorm — if he can get the job, he’ll be close enough to the former emperor to win his trust and then kill the despot when no one suspects. Martino is awarded the prestigious position, but once he gets to know Napoleon, the great man’s charm and wit make it difficult for Martino to put his deadly plans into motion. N (Napoleon and Me) (aka N (Io E Napoleone) received its North American premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide”

Science of Attraction

I once wrote that the exterior of an item is to such extent important in the marketing of the item that some customers, like yours-truly, purchase it just because of that feature and without a clue about the kind of material it contains! That means that the design and packaging is a commercial argument on its own! To prove my argument I present you my latest collectible that was purchased ONLY because of its special packaging, the French Limited Edition of “Science of Sleep“. Needless to say, I haven’t even watched this movie! And there is a big chance that I wont even like it, based on the reviews that I’ve read! But still, its packaging stimulate me enough to pay the high price for such an EYE-CANDY in my collection! The vinyl looking discs alone are worth the meney spent! hehe!

The Korean Monster

Finally managed to watch this Korean MONSTER-MOVIE that had been recommended to me. It’s a rather unconventional movie in terms of combining THRILLER with COMEDY and DRAMA in a strange yet successful fashion! If you too are a fan of excellent special effects topped with a balanced plot then “The Host” is highly recommended. Btw, I still haven’t understood why its titled the host, if there is any connection that I’ve managed to miss but you happen yo catch please do share! ;)

Not Forever Young, But a Forever Song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0OX49tdZt4

The German SYNTH/Electro-POP group Alphaville is perhaps one the most influential bands in my life with their "Big in Japan", an immortal song that still till this day gives me goosebumps when listening to it! Alphaville has perhaps not managed to stay “forever young” (the title of their biggest HIT which many have heard by few know the artist behind, played even on Napoleon Dynamite’s prom!lol) but they sure have managed to create a forever-song! That was Alphaville 23 years ago and now with only the singer Marian Gold left in the band, this is Alphaville today!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDGYUZc2z3w

Ultimate Disco Queen

The Australian DISCO QUEEN Kylie who had a revival almost a decade ago is now resuming her career after her cancer treatment! This Australian Special Edition of her greatest HITS was released a few months ago and features both audio and video versions of the songs. If you are a fan and look for a collection THIS IS IT! It more than justifies the ULTIMATE in its title!

The PULSE has dropped!

What’s your BEST concert experience? Mine is a 13-year-old experience from PINK FLOYD’s ”THE PULSE”-tour back in 1994! Before that I didn’t even like Pink Floyd, but my friend who was a HARDCORE fan purchased me a ticket and invited me, so I ”reluctantly” followed him to the stadium that rainy summer evening. But hours later I was converted to a hard-line ”Floydian (as their fans are called)” and a week later a proud owner of a lovely Pink Floyd collection! What a SHOW! An orgy in light, sound and vision! Talk about high Goosebumps factor! This was what I call ”LIVE-experience”!

In 13 years have I waited for this concert to be forever documented on a media in a way that it does the quality of the delivered performance justice. However the 2006 released DVD which was postponed in months due to its mastering does not serve the purpose. The re-editing for the DVD is so carelessly done that it manages to leave out the most important details happening on stage and in the arena! Not to mention the poorly designed DVD package and artwork which does not meet the same quality standard as set by the band’s previous masterpieces! Needless to say Pink Floyd has redefined “album covers” in more than two decades and this is an underachievement! Everything considered its not so strange that the price of DVD was dropped to 2/3, only a few months after the release. Normal you might think, but not in regard to Pink Floyd whose oldest albums and concerts are still till this day sold for full price! Pink Floyd and “sale” have simply never gone hand in hand!

I think I stick to my earlier version on VHS where the A/V-quality might not be that high but the level of experience is!!

One of the 1994 tour shirts!

Prestigiously Thai

Not everything in Thailand is a bootleg!! This I happened to learn when, to my big surprise, one of my favourite movies from last year was released as Limited Edition ONLY in Thailand! Of all places! “The Prestige” GIFTSET is exclusively manufactured and released in Thailand by WB and if it had not been for a fellow collector of mine I would have never even looked that way! Way to go Thailand!!

Award for the best supporting posterior …

goes to miss Biel’s booty!!!

Just when I’d started to give up on the idea of seeing Jessica Biel’s laws-of-nature-defying (for a white girl) booty being fairly displayed and adequately exposed onscreen, the eight wonder of the world surprises us by starring in “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” along with its owner miss Biel! Now you know to whom or “what”, to be exactly, my vote for the best supporting role goes! Hehe!

Although I’m fantASStically indulged by this dream-comin’-true I still wont settle and keep on hoping for a “leading part“ some day soon! These prominent cheeks have still much more talent to offer us! Much much more! hehe!

Ice Cold Zero

I’m a soda addict! Cant have a meal without washing it down with some soda! But I only drink sugarless sodas. And as such its hard to find a good sugar-free soda that manages to deliver the exact taste of its original! Coca Cola Light (what diet coke is called in Europe) somehow didn’t do that for me, neither did Pepsi Max really! Now Coca Cola has launched its “Zero” in Sweden which was an instant hit with me! And now together with Sprite Zero its my designated drink for the hot summer ahead!

Am I sponsored by Coda Cola? No, but I wish I was!lol

Lost Toys

McFarlane has announced the upcoming release of the new set of toys based on LOST characters. I must say that this almost lifelike Mr. Eko would look good on the LOST shelf of my collection, beside the DVDs of the show!

For those who do not know the McFarlane company, it’s a designer and manufacturer of grownup toys! Collectibles for display that are mostly based on famous characters of the popular culture!

Not Enough Goya!

I’m a huge fan of biographical films that portray the character and life of artists (cultural personalities and characters in general). Yesterday I went and watched the highly acclaimed director Milos Forman’s take on the father of satirical art, Fransisco de Goya’s life in “Goya‘s Ghosts“. To my disappointment the movie was more or less only loosely centred around Goya himself as it focused on the fate of his favourite model “Ines” against a large backdrop of the time’s war-ridden Spain! Although coming short in terms of artist-portrayal the film is still worth watching since it brings up the still current issues of religious hypocrisy and political tyranny as a constantly dynamic dilemma! It was indulging to see one of Sweden’s prominent actors Stellan Skarsgård in the lead role as Goya, but I must say that it was Javier Bardem’s excellent performance that ultimately stole the focus and attention. Not to forget miss Portman who is slowly but surely refining as an actress of dramatic roles!

“Goya‘s Ghosts“ wasn’t as inspiring as I had hoped for, but still engaging!

Singing Tangerines

The pioneers of TANGERINE DREAM are back! In an album dedicated to the late Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd the legendary act feature poetry by British and American poets preformed by Chris Hausl! Vocals on music is something which Tangerine Dream are new to, but manage to pull off excellently!

Bull! Pit-Bull!!

Being a short-term Bond-fan who got into the franchise with Timothy Dalton’s near-Shakespearean interpretation of the British agent and fell out with Pierce Brosnan’s neo-Moore performance I had my doubts and fears when I saw the image of Daniel Craig as the new Bond! Craig who looks more like a Bond-villain from the cold war era and has therefore not so surprisingly played mostly bad guys in his career just didn’t look cut for the sleek suit! Yet when I read the overwhelmingly positive reviews I thought hey I should give the guy a chance! There is a chance that the guy just “looks” like “that“! And yesterday I finally sat down and watched the long flick, which was disappointingly nothing like what its been described as by the critics (hey we critics aren’t perfect either, even though it might be hard to belive!lol)! The supposedly more “realistic” Bond got things even more “unrealistic” once in action! All in all I must say that there was nothing new, let alone realistic, to this version of Bond other than the fact that Craig possessed and displayed the charm of a crossed and constipated pit-bull!

Museums of Music

A while ago I recommended the book-turned-into-movie “High Fidelity”, as a movie to watch on Valentine’s Day! In High Fidelity John Cusack’s character Rob is the owner of a second-hand/vintage record store. And when I was a teenager this was the main place where I hanged out and dreamt of managing one day! A cultural forum, a museum of music wherein every visitor is a guide and a narrator to an own unwritten page in the book of music history! Still today, when leaving work for home, I happen to find myself in these labyrinths of rarities where the smell of vintage vinyl and aging paper get me intoxicated and put in trance …to the past!

TRANCEMASTER

The TRANCEMASTER Tiesto is back! The new studio-album “Elements of Life” featuring numerous guest vocalists was just released and its 80’s HI-NRG inspired single “In The Dark (featuring Christian Burns)” has already become a HIT!

This is MAINSTREAM TRANCE at its BEST!!!